//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: In the Eye of the Storm // by SPark //------------------------------// In the Eye of the Storm by SPark Chapter Five The library was once again crowded with ponies. Luna, the six friends from Ponyville, one small dragon, two heralds, and three Companions, all filled the main room. But this time there were no streamers or creampuffs. Luna wasn't sure about the crowd of ponies. She had originally only told Twilight Sparkle, hoping the scholarly unicorn would be able to identify the frightening creatures they'd glimpsed. But Twilight hadn't recognized it either. And she had insisted that her friends might be able to help, they were resourceful ponies who had dealt with a number of different disasters so far. Dale had said much the same for his friends, so now twelve ponies and a dragon gathered around with various expressions of worry and concern. "All right. Let's lay the situation out," said Elspeth, breaking the uneasy silence that had followed Luna's description of the thing. "On the one hand we have an unknown magical creature, that probably has pretty bad intentions, given that it's leaking some sort of death magic all over the place. On the other we have what resources?" "Three unicorns of varying ability," ticked off Luna. "Two pegasi, one a very strong flier, the other gifted in dealing with creatures. Five earth ponies of varying strengths and skills. And one magically crippled alicorn." "You're not..." started Twilight. "I am," said Luna. "There's no point pretending otherwise. I don't have my full power, I'm only slightly stronger than you are right now. My sister may count as a goddess, but I don't." "What about your sister then?" said Elspeth. "Should we bring this to her attention?" Luna shook her head. "Ordinarily with a threat like this I'd say that's a great idea, but my sister... she has a hard time not getting personally involved. She wouldn't be content to just advise us, she'd want to go out and fight it with us. And in this case I think that would be a very bad idea, but I'm not sure I could talk her out of it. Best to not involve her at all, except as a last resort." "Why is it a bad idea?" asked Pinkie Pie with wide-eyed innocence. "Because there is a creature oozing evil and death taking a ruler-straight path towards her palace. I can't believe it's a coincidence. I think the creature is on its way to try and kill her. And since it's an unknown, I don't know what abilities it may have. It may well be able to kill her. I can't risk that." "Ooo, scary!" said Pinkie Pie with a theatrical shiver. "It could be after you," said Twilight. "It's your palace too." Luna blinked. "Me?" "She has a point," said Skif. "Even if this whatever it is wants your sister, it might want you as well." "I find that fairly unlikely," said Luna. "For one thing it's come from so far away that we've never seen anything like it. Every creature in the world knows that Celestia raises the sun. My return is barely a year old, the news hasn't spread that far. And I haven't taken up the moon again. Killing Celestia would be a disaster for the whole world, killing me wouldn't actually accomplish much." "It might still have some magical means of knowing who you are," said Twilight. "But I suppose we can consider that the less likely hypothesis. I think you're probably right that it's after Celestia. Which means we must stop it." "So what do we do about it?" That was Elspeth again. "Like Twilight said it has to be stopped. If we can halt it, or turn it back, that would be ideal. If we can turn it from its course, we'll at least gain time, though I'm not happy about letting something like that just wander free, trailing death behind it. If we can't stop it or turn it, we'll have to kill it." Luna shivered as she spoke. She didn't like the idea of killing it, but they might not have a choice. "How long do we have?" asked Rarity. "It's moving fairly slowly, but I'd like to go out and meet it. If we can turn it north before it crosses the mountains... the northern plains are largely unoccupied. It would do little harm there. If it gets into the Everfree Forest there will be a lot more damage done, and we definitely don't want to let it out of the forest and into Equestria proper." The gathered ponies nodded agreement. "I could fly ahead and try to stop it," volunteered Rainbow Dash. "No." Luna's response was instant. "I'm not sure I could face it by myself, you certainly shouldn't. We'll all go. And we can think of ideas for halting it along the way. At the pace of an earth pony it'll be at least a whole day to get across the mountains. If we leave now we can make it quite a ways before sundown. Then we can camp and continue in the morning." "Right." Twilight Sparkle stood up. "We should take an hour or so to pack first. I'm going to go through a few of the old bestiaries and see if I can find any reference to this thing. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, you two can pack food. Pinkie... a few cupcakes if you must, but bring things other than sweets. Both of you bring plenty, we've got a large group. I'm sure the Companions won't mind carrying packs?" she glanced at the three white ponies. "No, we're happy to help," said Gwena, and Dale and Cymry nodded. "Bring any other supplies you think might be useful too," added Twilight. "I've got a couple o' light tents. Long as it ain't too cold..." Applejack glanced at Rainbow Dash. "Hey, we don't do the weather in the Everfree Forest, but here in town tonight's supposed to be clear and pretty warm." "Then I don't recon it'll snow on us," said Applejack with a grin. "Right. Rarity, you have some spare packs I know. Can you go get them?" "Of course. Though they're mostly ones customers didn't end up liking, not made for me, so I'm not sure how they'll look with white..." she trailed off, then laughed. "I suppose in such an emergency that's hardly the foremost concern, is it?" Twilight smiled at her. "You've learned a lot recently." "I still fully intend to pack a scarf that brings out my eyes, darling," said Rarity with a smile. "If you have a few extra scarves, that would be very nice," broke in Luna. "It will be cold going over the mountains. It's summer, so it won't be freezing, but warm clothing would be a good idea for everypony." "Oh, uh, I hope you don't mind me taking charge, princess" said Twilight, looking at Luna and blushing. "Oh no! I wouldn't know the first thing about organizing other ponies. My sister always handled that kind of thing. I tended to work alone," said Luna. "You're doing very well!" "Thank you." said Twilight Sparkle with a smile. "Well then, everypony go gather your stuff, and meet back here in an hour." ----- Twelve ponies ran through the forest in the afternoon light. Spike had stayed behind to tend the library. He he protested only briefly when Twilight insisted he stay. He was a brave creature, but still just a baby. Although all these ponies are babies next to me, thought Luna. I hope I've done the right thing by letting them come. If one of them gets hurt, I'm not sure I could forgive myself. :They're strong,: said Dale softy in her head. Luna thought for a moment that she ought to be annoyed that he seemed to always be eavesdropping on her thoughts, but somehow it didn't bother her. He felt like he was a part of her, another half that she'd somehow lived all these years without. :They're all the kind of people who seldom run away from trouble.: he continued. :That sort of person either dies young or becomes very capable indeed. I know my fellow Valdemarans are the latter sort. I'm pretty sure your Ponyville friends are as well.: :I hope so,: was all Luna said in return. She was in the lead, with the others strung out behind her in a long line. They were following a narrow trail through thick underbrush, but Luna was hoping to strike an easier path. She knew it had to be near here somewhere. "Hey Luna!" shouted Twilight from where she ran just behind Dale, "Isn't this the way to the old palace ruins?" "Nearly! There used to be a city below the palace, before the forest grew over it. That's where we're headed." They galloped on, taking a downward-sloping path that led to a valley in the shadow of the ruined palace. There were ruins here too, though much more decrepit and less impressive. Tree roots had torn up most of the stones, leaving only the occasional bit of wall half-cloaked in greenery. They ran amid the remnants of an earlier age, that would have been full of eerie desolation by moonlight, but in the light of day only looked sad and empty. Soon Luna found what she was seeking, and turned their course onto the remains of an ancient road. The paving stones were almost invisible in most places, covered in a layer of loam and grass, but the trees had not encroached here, so the way was more open than it would otherwise have been. And the road ran, straight as the pegasus flew, towards the low mountain range that was their immediate goal. Luna slowed to a canter, not wanting to tire everypony out, and they continued down the road, no longer single file but in an irregular herd. Dale came up to run on one side of Luna, and Twilight Sparkle ran on the other. They ran on through the afternoon and into the evening. When the sun was about to set, and the long shadows of the trees already shrouded the road in gloom, Luna halted. The other ponies halted as well. The Valdemarans were in good shape, and Rainbow Dash had been grumbling the whole way about being held to such a slow pace, but several of the others were panting and exhausted. Rarity in particular dropped to the ground and lay there, trying to catch her breath. "I'll get the tents up," volunteered Applejack. "Should we build a fire?" asked Skif, glancing between Luna and Twilight. "I can't think of any reason why not," said Luna. "I'll gather branches then." "I'll get out the food!" said Pinkie Pie with her usual exuberance. She had been breathless from the run as well, but recovered almost instantly. Soon they had a cozy campsite, and were roasting apples over the fire. Pinkie Pie was roasting marshmallows as well, which she shared around happily. "Just like a camp out! Which I guess it is, because we're out, and we're camping!" Luna smiled at Pinkie Pie. "Indeed. We shall have to do this again sometime, without the urgent errand." Pinkie's cheerfulness was heartening, and Luna found herself glad that she had brought these other ponies along. She still worried that somepony might get hurt, but this was far better, being surrounded by so many friends, than being alone. "Does any pony have any ideas for dealing with this thing?" "Well, ah was thinkin' that since we're lookin' to turn it, ah might lasso it up and haul it 'round," said Applejack. "That's a good notion," said Luna. She considered. "A lasso in particular is a good idea. I don't think anypony should touch it. If it kills plants just by stepping near them, touching it is probably a bad idea." "Well what else can we do to it without touching it then?" said Elspeth. "There's magic, of course. With four unicorns, counting myself, we might be able to turn it or stop it. Perhaps in conjunction with Applejack's rope." "There's me too," said Rainbow Dash. "I can spin it around in my patented rain-blow dry technique without touching it. Maybe I could get it dizzy or point it back the way it came." "I wish I were up to helping with that," said Skif. "But I'm fast on my feet, so I'll jump in and help any way that I can once things get started." "And Fluttershy can try the stare on it," said Twilight. "And Pinkie Pie can try... whatever it is Pinkie does. Though I suspect that won't work very well. Creepy death creatures probably don't like noisemakers and balloons." "You never know!" said Pinkie. "Maybe all it needs is to cheer up a little and not be so gloomy-doomy." Twilight chuckled. "I hope it's that easy, Pinkie." "I'm not sure what we can do," said Dale. "If we can't touch it... and we don't have any magic or any special abilities." "If you think of anything, let me know. But just having you along is good for morale, if nothing else," said Twilight with a smile. :It's very good for my morale,: Luna said silently. :And no doubt for Elspeth's and Skif's as well, if I understand how this works.: Dale smiled at her, and sent back a wordless agreement. There was a long silence, filled only with the snapping and crackling of the fire. "I guess nobody else has any ideas," said Twilight, getting to her feet, "so I'm going to turn in. We all should, so we're all rested tomorrow." There was a general murmur of agreement. Skif set about putting out the fire, while various ponies got out blankets and made themselves comfortable in the tents. There wasn't quite room for everypony, and the three Companions volunteered to sleep outside, since they were used to it. Luna stayed out as well, staring up pensively at the night sky. If she took up her power again she could deal with this threat so easily. But if she did... fear shivered through her. To lift her power to raise the moon again was a terrifying enough thought. To take it up in combat? To attack some creature, even an obviously dangerous one like this? No. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. One of their other ideas had to work. ----- Luna slept little that night, and roused the others before dawn. They yawned and grumbled a bit, but soon the camp was packed up and they were once again on their way. The previous day they'd crossed most of the Everfree Forest. By the time the sun rose above the trees the road was beginning to curve and wind as it climbed and dipped among forested foothills. All too soon after that they started up the mountains in earnest. The steepness of the way slowed the whole group to a walk. Rainbow Dash grumbled louder than ever at the pace, and frequently darted from one end of the string of climbing ponies to the other, spending nervous energy freely. Skif stayed on the ground, as did Fluttershy. The sheer drop along one side of the twisting road was bad enough for the timid yellow pegasus, and though Skif had learned fast he wasn't completely confident in his flying skills as yet. He didn't want to crash, for if he missed the road it was a long way down. The sun was high in the sky as they neared the pass itself. But as Luna had expected, despite the clear sky and blazing sunlight, the thinner air was chilly, and the ponies found themselves shivering. Rarity distributed scarves, and those combined with the brisk pace were enough to keep everypony warm enough. Finally, a little after noon, they reached the pass. Peaks still towered far above them, but here the road was level, running between high rock walls before dropping off into the unseen downward slope ahead. Luna paused for a moment, looking back the way they'd come. The dark green forest spread out below her, and beyond it the brighter green fields of Ponyville. The distant peaks that held Canterlot on the far side of the valley were blue with distance, and her keen pegasus eyes could just make out the brightly colored domes of her sister's palace, minute specks at the edge of perception. The others had paused as well, and they all gazed back over their homeland. This was what they were setting out to protect. This idyllic image was why they were going to face the approaching danger. This beautiful peace was something worth fighting, even dying, to preserve. Even Elspeth, an alien here, and eager to return home as soon as possible, found that she couldn't regret coming along. Equestria was something worth preserving. It was as though this strange land had become a symbol of everything she fought for back home. The peace, the prosperity, the tolerance, the easy friendship of these ponies, all these things were things that Valdemar too cherished, and that she hoped to help bring back to her land someday, somehow. Dale snorted softly, a gentle reminder, and Luna and the others turned their backs on Equestria, and trotted forward along level ground until they came to the far side of the pass. Below them stretched a very different sort of land. There were no forests here, though patches of trees dotted the landscape. But mostly the land was covered in grass, golden now in the summer heat. Rivers drew lines of green trees, with a shimmering glimpse of blue water showing here and there among the foliage. But the most noticeable line was a black one, unnaturally straight, that ran from the distant horizon to the foothills below them. And one didn't need pegasus sight now to make out the creature tat the end of it. It was still small, far below them, but its deadly nature was obvious to all. Luna could feel the ponies around her shrinking back in dismay. "That is what we came to fight?" said Rarity, her trembling voice expressing the fear they all felt. "Hmm." Twilight Sparkle levitated a book from her bag. "It really does resemble the kirin in my bestiary, but it can't possibly be one." The others all looked at the scholarly unicorn. "A kirin?" said Luna. "But aren't they... well, sort of like Celestia? They're supposed to be near-gods, and entirely benign." "Yes, which is why I say it only resembles one. Here, look." She flipped open the book and turned it so they all could see. The creature pictured there definitely bore some kinship to what plodded towards them at a funeral pace. But where the creature below was mottled with black, the creature in the book was burnished and gleaming. Where the one oozed darkness and dripped blood, the other glowed with a golden light. "If it's a god, how are we going to stop it?" asked Elspeth. Twilight shook her head. "Kirins aren't gods. They're powerful, but not gods. And I don't think this is actually a kirin. I mean look here." She read from the book. "'Kirins are notorious for their pacifism, some going so far as to brush the ground gently with their magic as they walk, to ensure that they do not tread on an ant, and thus end an innocent life.' That's definitely not what's down there killing everything it touches!" "Maybe it's gone bad somehow?" ventured Skif. "I mean, even the best people can turn to doing dark things, under the right circumstances. I've... seen that kind of thing happen before. Even with Heralds, they can go bad." "True. It might be some kind of, well..." Twilight glanced at Luna, "some kind of Nightmare Kirin. But the book doesn't say anything about that. It's very short on detail, really. They're from so far away we know very little about them." "Whatever it is, we still have to stop it," broke in Rainbow Dash. "And it's getting closer while we stand around wasting time!" "You're right." Twilight looked over at Luna, who nodded. "Yes. Let's do this. Applejack, get out your rope," said Luna, trying to stay calm. Please Celestia, don't let any of them get hurt, she prayed. She was not in the habit of praying, it felt strange to try and send a plea to her own sister. But she had a sinking feeling that it would take a miracle for this to work out, and her sister was the only miracle worker she knew. "Rainbow Dash, get ready to try that whirlwind move you were talking about. Unicorns, prepare your magic. When we get close enough for Applejack to throw the rope, we'll all act at once and try to push it back." "Ah'll need to be 'round the far side, to pull back." "Right. We'll pause to let you run around. Don't step in the black though. It's probably harmless but..." "Better safe than sorry," said Applejack. They broke into a canter, moving steadily downhill, steadily closer to the death-bringer. They ran for perhaps an hour, the creature moving in and out of sight as it crossed the foothills, and as the trail they followed twisted. Eventually the thing was directly below them, near enough that all could see every horrible detail. Applejack started to gallop, pulling ahead. She had her rope out, whirling through the air above her as she ran. Rainbow Dash soared above her. The rest clattered down the slope, the creature below drawing ever closer. "Unicorns! Ready your magic," called Luna. "Nothing fancy, just push it back as soon as it's lassoed." Applejack circled around the creature, which ignored her utterly, simply continuing to plod forward. "Yee-haw!" Her rope flew through the air and settled perfectly around the thing's neck. She instantly skidded to a halt and pulled with all her might. While the dust was still flying around Applejack's hooves, Rainbow Dash dived down to circle just above the creature. She spun around and around and around, and a rainbow vortex began to form below her. Meanwhile Luna and the others skidded to a halt and all four unicorns shoved with their magic, pushing backwards with all their might. Luna's horn was brilliant, a cold sun of power, and Twilight Sparkle's was almost as bright. Elspeth's started dimmer, but grew and grew as she gained confidence in this still-unfamiliar magic. Rarity's glow was nearly washed out by the more powerful unicorns, but she put all she had into it all the same. For a moment the creature halted, one foot upraised. And then it stepped forward again, utterly ignoring them all. Applejack's rope snapped suddenly. The creature lurched forward a few rapid steps. Rainbow Dash spun out of control and tumbled across the sky, nearly crashing. And though all four unicorns strained and strained, the creature still stepped slowly closer, and closer, until finally they had to stop their magic, turn, and retreat. They regrouped at the first switchback. All four unicorns were trembling with weariness, they had poured everything they had into it, and had been ignored as though they weren't even there. Rainbow Dash landed next to them, her feathers in horrible disarray. Applejack galloped up to join them, her rope left behind. "It rotted through! Like it were a hun'red years old! Just rotted and broke!" "I should have expected that," said Luna. "Thank heavens nopony touched that thing. But what are we going to do now?" A tiny voice said, "I could try. Uhm. I don't know if it would work, but I could try stopping it." "Your stare hasn't failed yet, darling," said a tired but smiling Rarity. "You should try." "Yes," said Luna. "Please." Luna felt like holding her breath as the little yellow pegasus flew back at the death-creature. She seemed impossibly tiny and fragile compared to something that had shrugged off four unicorns, two of them among the most powerful in Equestria. She hovered in front of it for a moment, and the two, death-creature and pegasus, locked gazes. Then Fluttershy let out a cry and fled back towards the others. "I can't do it. It's horrible! It's not like an animal at all, it's just made of hate and death!" She landed, shaking and trembling, next to Twilight Sparkle, who promptly hugged her tightly. "It's okay. You tried. We all tried and failed, it's okay Fluttershy." There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Nopony seemed to have any ideas. Applejack burst out, "How the hay are we supposed to stop that thing? If magic doesn't work on it, and everythin' else that touches it rots or dies, what are we goin' to do?" Luna glanced around. All the ponies were looking at each other, each hoping that some other pony would come up with the idea that would solve everything. Then Skif said slowly, "Stone doesn't rot." "Of course!" Twilight Sparkle looked back the way they'd come. "The pass! It's narrow enough we could wall it off, if we all worked hard. I think it's moving slowly enough that it won't get to the top until around sundown." "Good idea," said Luna, feeling relieved. "Let's get on it." "I'll get started! Come on Fluttershy, Skif, come help." Rainbow Dash zoomed off to the pass, and a willing Skif and a hesitant Fluttershy following after. Luna couldn't manage more than a slow trot, using that much magic all at once had tired her out. She didn't even want to think about trying to fly, and the other unicorns weren't in any better shape. The earth ponies started outpacing them. Dale hesitated and dropped back, but Luna said "Go on ahead, we'll catch up!" Dale nodded and broke into a gallop. By the time that Luna reached the top there was already a substantial pile of stones. She could see the pegasus ponies higher up on the slope, kicking rocks to roll down and lie in the pass. The earth ponies were shoving and lifting them into place, to build a piled wall that was fairly steep on the near side, though it sloped irregularly on the far side. Her legs felt like rubber, but the trip up the mountain had been long enough for her magic to recover a bit, so Luna immediately set about lifting the largest rocks she could manage and putting them into place on the pile. As they all worked like madponies, Luna occasionally glanced behind her. The creature had, as she had feared, turned from its straight path to follow the road upwards. It would have been slowed greatly if it had continued in a straight line, there were sheer cliffs, ravines, and gravel slopes in its path that way. But the road, though ancient, was still smooth and unobstructed, and it was drawing steadily nearer. It was no longer followed by a clear trail of blackness. There were few plants on the road, and fewer still as it came higher and higher. "I think we'd better retreat," said Rainbow Dash some hours later as the creature neared the pass. Luna wanted to fall over and just lie where she landed. But she wanted everypony on the other side of the wall. She lifted Dale and Pinkie Pie over with her magic. Thankfully everyone else had been working on the far side. Then she flew herself over, landing with a wobbly thud. Rarity and Twilight Sparkle were already sprawled on the ground, both visibly drooping. Luna sank to her knees, feeling utterly drained. The three pegasi weren't quite as worn, and Rainbow Dash kept aloft, watching the creature approach. Luna looked up at the wall they'd made. It was irregular, but the lowest part was still more than two ponies high. They wouldn't have been able to do it without every single pony who had come. Luna was very glad she hadn't gone alone. "It's here!" called Rainbow, after a period that seemed much too short. Luna tiredly flapped up into the air. She wanted to see it. The creature was not only in the pass, but almost to the wall. Then, to Luna's horror, Pinkie Pie jumped down directly into its path. "Hi there, mister grumpy, black-deathy, grumpy-pants. Would you like to par-tay?!" She opened her pack and there was a popping noise, a honk, and a small explosion of confetti. Where the bright paper strips touched the creature they turned black and crumbled to dust. "I saved you a cupcake!" said Pinkie, pulling a frosted confection, somehow intact, from her pack. She waved it at the creature, but it still ignored her, just plodding ever forward. Luna exerted the last ounces of her magic and picked Pinkie Pie up out of its path and landed her behind the wall. "Wow, he was really a grumpy-pants! He didn't want to party even a little bit! Even Gilda partied more than that!" "Pinkie, that was a really stupid idea. You could have gotten killed!" scolded Rainbow Dash. "I had to try, Rainbow. He's so gloomy! He needs cheering up!" Luna landed on top of the wall, though not directly above the creature. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next. For a moment her heart leaped. The thing stopped. It stood in place for some time. Heads started popping up above the wall as the ponies tried to see what was going on. Luna wanted to hold her breath. Would it turn around? Had they won? Blackness seemed to gather around the creature. Its horn somehow anti-glowed, darkness rather than light radiating from it. Luna shuddered. It was not quite Nightmare Moon's dark power, but it was very close. It spoke, in a language that Luna didn't know. It sounded almost poetic, the words themselves were elegant, even beautiful, but she sensed that the spell the creature was speaking was one of darkness and terrible destruction. Then it took one more step and touched its horn to the wall. For a heartbeat nothing happened. Suddenly black cracks spread rapidly over the stones. They began to break apart. With a cry of dismay Luna took to the air again as the wall started to crumble beneath her. The other ponies shouted and fled the falling wall. Larger rocks tumbled and rolled as the ones beneath them turned to dust. And with a roar the whole thing collapsed completely. As the dust cleared Luna could see the creature below. It stood still again for a very long moment, then it took a step forward. She wasn't even sure if the groan rose from her own throat or from some other pony's. They all felt it. All that work, for nothing! What would they do now? Retreat was the immediate and obvious answer. The creature was still advancing through the crumbled ruins of the wall. They needed to once more get out of its path. "Come on," she called, and headed for the far side of the pass. She heard a few more groans, but also the clatter of hooves, as all the ponies staggered to their feet and followed after her. Fluttershy was walking again, though Rainbow Dash and Skif were still in the air. Rarity was stumbling, barely able to keep up, but Pinkie Pie seemed to still have some energy and she let the white unicorn lean on her. Luna's wings ached, and after a moment she landed at the rear of the string of ponies. Walking took slightly less energy. But they had to open up a lead on the creature again, so although she would have preferred to shamble along, she broke into a rough trot. She gently chivvied those ahead of her to the faster pace, and they, amazingly, wonderfully, gave all they had and matched her speed. It wasn't a gallop. She didn't think any of them had any gallop left, but it was at least still faster than the thing behind them. The sun was setting as they began the downward trek, and soon night had fallen and the moon was rising. Luna felt a little better with it in the sky. She had not taken up her moon power, but the moon was still deeply connected to her, and she felt its light like a tangible thing on her skin, filling her with a cool, gentle energy. The downward journey was exhausting all the same, and she could hardly imagine what it must be like for some of the others. Rarity collapsed half way along, and Twilight Sparkle was barely able to keep on her feet. Dale, with Luna's help, put Rarity on his broad back and carried her, and Twilight leaned on Pinkie Pie, and somehow they all got down to where the forest began again. In the moonlight Luna could see the creature, still moving slowly, about half way down. She breathed a sigh of relief. They had once again gained a little time. If the thing had been fast moving, she didn't know what they would have done. Run to Celestia, I guess, she thought. We may have to do that anyway. But first I have one last thing to try. She halted under a spreading oak tree. Everypony else stumbled to a halt as well, and most of them immediately dropped to the ground. "All right. We have an hour or so before it gets this far. It looks like we may have to call Celestia to stop it, but I've got one last plan." She had been thinking about it all the way down the mountains. They hadn't been able to turn it. They couldn't just let it go on. The only option left was trying to kill it. "First, the backups. Rainbow Dash, you're the last resort. I know you have enough left in you to fly to Canterlot. If we fail here, you must go to Celestia. I don't expect anypony to die, but I don't know what will happen. Whatever does, if it's not stopped here she must be warned." She turned to Fluttershy. "And if we don't stop it here we can't let innocent creatures stray into its path. That's your job. Stay out of the way, and if we can't stop it you need to go ahead, making sure everything is warned. Somepony should probably go with you..." "I can do that," said Cymry. "I haven't managed to do anything else so far. Skif can come too, if you don't need him elsewhere." "No. If any of us had the right weapons or training... but the only way I can think of to affect it without touching it is magic, so I need the unicorns again." "I knew I should have learned to use a dagger with hooves," muttered Skif. "Princess... we want to stop it, but we have nothing left," said Rarity, not stirring from where she lay. It was a testament to her level of exhaustion that she didn't even make an attempt to shake the dust from her mane. "I think I can help that,"said Luna. She hadn't been trying to reach out to the moon and tap the wellspring of power there. But the moonlight had recharged her all the same. And she knew a trick. It wasn't something to be done casually, but she was desperate enough to try it. "If anypony else can think of anything besides magic that we can attack it with?" She looked around. All she saw were tired headshakes and negative murmurs. She sighed. "I can't either. So magic it is." "I mean, we could throw rocks at it or something," said Rainbow Dash, "but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do much good." "Maybe we could get something else to attack it? Like an ursa? I know there's at least one in these mountains," said Twilight tiredly. "Oh no!" said Fluttershy. "Anything else that attacked it would die! We couldn't do that!" "Ugh, you're right. I'm not thinking straight." "Maybe this will help," said Luna. She knelt down next to Twilight. "Touch my horn with yours," she said. Twilight hesitated, her eyes going wide. Touching horns was not something unicorns did lightly. It formed a bond, soul-to-soul, mind-to-mind. But looking into Luna's aqua eyes she couldn't possibly distrust this friend who had fought so hard beside her today. So she touched her horn gently to Luna's. Twilight had never done this before. Luna had, but not in more than a thousand years. Each of them sensed the other, their thoughts, their feelings, and more, the core of them that made them who they were. Luna tried not to concentrate on the intimacy of the bond, though she couldn't help feeling Twilight's soul touching hers. But she was doing something else besides just feeling what Twilight felt. She gathered the magic and moonlight within her, and poured them through her horn into Twilight's. Without touching such magic wouldn't be absorbed, but in this moment they were one being, and the magic flowed freely between them. When Luna straightened and broke free of the contact, Twilight already looked much more energetic. She climbed to her feet. "Wow. I didn't know you could do that." Luna smiled. "Any unicorn can, but most don't. For, uh, obvious reasons. I mean if you're lovers, of course, but, uh, unicorns who aren't usually don't because, er... I think I'll stop talking now." She flushed. She couldn't sense Twilight anymore, but the memory of that bright, lively, warm, and powerful soul that she'd touched lingered with her. Twilight was something special. All ponies are special in their own way though, she reminded herself. That's why we have cutie marks. And I guess I get to feel somebody else's specialness too. "Rarity? Is it all right if I...?" "Yes your highness," said Rarity solemnly. Luna knelt next to her and once again touched horns. The contact was just as intimate this time, but somehow less intense. Rarity was too tired for her full personality to come through, and she was less powerful than Twilight. Luna refilled her reservoir of magic swiftly and easily, and then withdrew. "Elspeth?" she turned to the third unicorn, who nodded assent. Her mind was different, alien, a reminder of what Luna had nearly forgotten, that Elspeth was not actually a pony at all, as much as she might currently resemble one. Her mind was intense, powerful, and very self-contained. Despite the intimacy of the contact Luna came away from it with the feeling that she still knew almost nothing about the Herald, as though she had somehow shielded her mind and soul from the touch. But if there was some barrier between their minds, it hadn't blocked their magics, and Elsepth got to her feet, looking much less bedraggled and worn than she had mere moments before. "Thank you. But what now? Magic didn't do much earlier." Luna sighed. "We were trying to halt it. Now we're going to have to try to kill it." Twilight paled. Rarity, unable to get any paler, swallowed and gave Luna a wide-eyed stare of dismay. "We're not warriors," said Twilight. "I've never studied war magic, unless reading histories counts, which it doesn't! I don't know a single war spell!" "I don't either," said Elspeth with a frown. "Everything here was so peaceful it never crossed my mind to learn any." Luna looked between them and smiled reassuringly. "There's one spell that I'm sure you all can learn quickly. It's very easy. It's a simple plane of magical force. Like so." She demonstrated, a hoof-sized rectangle of magic springing to life in front of her. "You make it tangible, as though you were going to set something on it, but instead you fling it forward, to cut with." Her horn's glow brightened slightly and the rectangle of magic flew through the air, slicing a nearby weed in half. "It vanishes after touching something, but not before cutting well into it. Because it's infinitely thin it's far sharper than any sword could ever be." "Can it be blocked?" asked Elspeth. "Yes. But they can bore through the most common sorts of shields. They usually have to be countered individually by specific counter-spells. With four of us casting them, we may be able to get one through. So everypony try one." "I... I don't think I can!" wailed Rarity. "I am a designer! I'm not a warrior! I'm not! I make clothing! How can I learn battle magic?! I just can't!" "You can," said Luna. "I know you can. You've told me yourself about facing down dragons, and diamond dogs. I've seen you charge straight at a wolf. And this spell is strongest when used with precision. It's not about power, it's about focus. And Rarity..." Luna smiled. "I've seen your embroidery. Any pony that can stitch that precisely will easily master this spell. You will probably cast it far better than I, once you become accustomed to it." "Please try, Rarity," said Twilight. "I... I... very well." Rarity's horn glowed. The plane of magic she made sputtered and wavered for a moment, then solidified. Rarity swallowed, and suddenly flung it at a nearby rock. She closed her eyes as she did, so she didn't see it slice through the rock in a shower of sparks. But when she opened her eyes the rock was lying in two halves, cleanly cut down the middle. "I knew you could do it!" said Luna. Rarity gave a half-hearted little smile, still looking more than a bit uncertain about the whole thing. Elspeth and Twilight both produced suitable cutting planes. Luna encouraged them all to try several for practice, but stopped them after half a dozen each. "We need to conserve magic. I can recharge from moonlight, but you can't, and I can't stop and give you more power in the middle of the battle. So we should wait." The little group of unicorns broke up, each seeking out the other ponies who had given them some distance to practice. Everypony was on edge, the conversations strained, frequently interrupted by glances at where the steadily plodding creature could be seen coming closer and closer. Finally it was nearly in range. "All right every pony," said Luna, taking charge once more. She had never liked the idea of ruling, her sister was the ruler, but somehow it was easier here. These were her friends, they followed her willingly, and she knew that she had the best chance of leading them to victory now. "Rainbow, stay well clear. You're the emergency back up, so we can't risk you catching a deflected spell. Fluttershy, Skif, Cymry, you do the same. Everyone else should probably keep back as well. Unicorns, line up side by side, so we're less likely to accidentally hit each other. And be aware, if it deflects them instead of destroying them you might have to deflect them back to keep from getting hit." She furrowed her brow. "I should have had us practice that. Curse it." "You did the best you could, Luna" said Twilight, resting a hoof on her shoulder for a moment. "I hope so." She took a deep breath. "All right. Ready your magic. It should be in range..." she watched the creature take a few more steps, "NOW!" Four glowing sheets whizzed through the air towards the creature. And four glowing sheets winked out of existence just inches from it. Luna cursed. "Keep firing! As fast as you can! Try to overwhelm it!" She followed her own advice and fired of a blazing stream of the magic squares. Twilight beside her was almost as fast. Elspeth was slower, but hers glowed with intense power. Rarity meanwhile was incredibly slow for the first few, then suddenly she started shooting tiny needles instead of squares, and her rate of fire soared past Luna's, until she was spitting out a nearly continuous stream of glowing darts. The creature had dissolved every square sent at it, but the rapid stream of needles proved too much. One got through and cut a bloody line along the side of its neck. It cried out, a high pitched scream of pain. The sound was loud, shockingly so from a creature that had been so silent. And then a pulse of black power came from it, exploding outward in a growing sphere of darkness. Luna didn't even have time to raise a shield before it slammed into her. She sensed once more that moon-dark coldness, tinged with almost-familiar malice. She shook off the feeling and readied another attack spell, but stopped as she realized that she was the only pony standing. The black wave had knocked down all the others, even Rainbow Dash had fallen from the sky and lay still on the ground a little ways away. Oh no! Luna gaped in horror. Then she saw that Twilight Sparkle, lying next to her, was breathing. Oh thank Celestia! They're still alive. She glared at the creature still advancing on her. "So. Your power doesn't hurt me. Good! Maybe I can hurt you. You come here dripping death, to try to kill my sister, and that's bad enough, but now you've hurt my friends! So fine! No more spells. No more trying to send you back peacefully. I am going to end this now!" She reared up, and then launched herself at the creature. She lowered her head and aimed her horn straight at its heart. The creature seemed to ignore her as she charged, until the very last second. Suddenly its head whipped down, and its horn met hers with a clash. Dueling unicorns normally shielded their horns with powerful magic. But Luna hadn't dueled in many centuries, and in her rage she had forgotten. Why the creature didn't shield itself was unknowable. But for whatever reason it hadn't, and so when their horns met, their minds and souls met as well. A shock of cold blackness went through Luna, leeching all warmth, light, and hope from her. She fell down into darkness that closed around her utterly, and this time there weren't even any stars.